Beloved Dayton chef announces plans to retire after decades of service

One of the most familiar faces in the Dayton dining scene has announced plans to retire.

Art Chin, the owner and executive chef at the Greenfire Bistro in Tipp City, told his employees, regular customers and Facebook followers that he will retire after helping the restaurant transition into new ownership. Over the next few months, Adam Berning will step up as Greenfire’s new owner and head chef.

Chin has been a staple in the Dayton food and dining community, even long before Greenfire was cranking out some of the area’s most delicious and freshest seafood. The Asian-seafood-fusion restaurant was previously called Chin’s Ginger Grill. In the Best of Dayton 2018 contest, Chin placed second in the Best Local Chef category, just behind Chef Elizabeth Wiley of Meadowlark.

In 2010, Dayton.com food and dining reporter Mark Fisher shared memories he had from Chin’s former restaurant in downtown Dayton. For 17 years, Chin operated a restaurant downtown. In 2005, he sold Chin’s restaurant at 200 S. Jefferson St. and the adjacent Elbo's bar, according to Dayton Daily News reports. Chin's, which offered upscale fusion fare, closed unexpected in 2003 and the bar remained open.

“Yes, Art Chin still operates the very fine Chin’s Ginger Grill in Tipp City, but I still miss his Chin’s Ginger Grill that operated for a decade or so at Fifth and Jefferson streets, and I bet I’m not the only one. Perfectly stir-fried chunks of fresh fish such as salmon or escolar with a mound of seasonal vegetables was lunchtime heaven for downtown Dayton workers,” Fisher wrote.

Art Chin, owner of Chin's Ginger Grill, 965 West Main Street in Tipp City, inspects frozen walleye filets from Midwest Seafood. The recent closing of Midwest has had a significant impact on local restaurants like Chin's who purchased nearly all their seafood items from the Springboro wholesaler. ARCHIVE PHOTO BY JIM WITMER